Somewhere between the current crazes for artisanal
distilling and hyper-local winemaking, a delicious middle path has emerged: the
craft vermouth movement. During the past three years or so, Willamette Valley
producers have rolled out at least nine new vermouths where
there once were none.

Vermouth is wine, but so much more. Sweetened and fortified, then macerated
with bitter herbs, pungent spices and aromatics such as citrus rind, it's a bottled all-in-one cocktail of wine, spirits and bitters. As such, I don't feel entirely qualified to judge its
merits or applications.

So I recently assembled all the local
vermouths I could get my hands on (save Cana's Feast Chinato, which is currently sold out at the winery) and brought them to my local expert for advice. Ansel Vickery is the bar
manager at Free House on Northeast Fremont, a favorite under-the-radar cocktail spot for Irvingtonians and Sabinites.

Vickery, an alum of Bunk Bar and Clyde
Common, has assembled a balanced, sophisticated drinks list that hearkens back
to an earlier era. Which means that there's plenty of vermouth behind his bar.

"Everyone's parents had an old bottle of
weird vermouth hiding away in a cabinet," Vickery told me. "Now, people are
realizing that there are vermouths that don't just taste delicious mixed, but
also on the rocks."

When I poured eight new vermouths for
Vickery, he declared them all to be delicious and on-the-rocks worthy; he had particular praise for the bartender-friendly versatility of Ransom's Dry Vermouth and the pushing-the-envelope concoctions from Hammer & Tongs, which he described as tasting "like the workings of a mad person." In a good way, really.

Most helpfully, Vickery offered mixing suggestions for each one.
Here are his expert impressions:

A look at the astonishing selection of locally produced vermouths on the market now.Katherine Cole/Special to The Oregonian

What it is: A crisp pinot noir base, fortified with elderberry brandy, from a small Philomath winery specializing in dessert wines. The Millrace has a rusty-rose color and a winey character, almost like a red Lillet.

Tasting notes: "I find that often red
vermouth smells a little like cola. To me, this fits that bill," says
Vickery, who praises the palate as "floral" and "round."

Mixing suggestions: Vickery recommends
substituting the Millrace into any "old cocktail recipe that calls for Port or quinquina."
Or, he says, try it in a Martinez, the red-vermouth-heavy Martini precursor. Available through the winery.

What it is: From a team that includes an
Oregon winemaker, a top bartender-turned-spirits wholesaler, and a winery
marketing manager, this is a pinot gris-based, Amaro-inspired pink fortified
wine that gets its color from Oregon beets.

Mixing suggestions: "I think it works really
well with white spirits like gin. Make a traditional gin martini, but instead
of mixing 5 or 4 parts gin to 1 part vermouth, do a 2-to-1 or 1-to-1 ratio, and
let it shine, let it be vermouth-y." Imbue Vermouths (see also Imbue Bittersweet, below) are widely available in wine shops as well as at Market of Choice, New Seasons Market and Whole Foods stores.

What it is: Highly regarded Sheridan
winemaker/distiller Tad Seestedt has combined his two disciplines to make a dead-serious
vermouth from a base of blanc de pinot noir.

Tasting notes: "Goodness, there is a lot
going on here!" exclaimed Vickery, finding everything from Cinnamon Toast Crunch
cereal to anise on the nose. "Oh, man, that is awesome!"

Mixing suggestions: From a bartending
perspective, this was Vickery's favorite of the light vermouths for its
versatility. He suggested using it in a Glasgow (a Scotch-vermouth cocktail) or
in place of Lillet and Absinthe in a Corpse Reviver #2. Available at Barrique Barrel, Hollywood Beverage, Market of Choice, The Meadow, Pastaworks, Pearl Specialty Market & Spirits and Zupan's.

What it is: A nationally recognized classic from the Imbue team,
based on Oregon pinot gris that has been blended with Clear Creek-distilled brandy. Imbue is currently preparing to roll out three new vermouths within the next year, so keep an eye on this exciting brand.

Tasting notes: "The Imbue always smells like
melon to me: melon rind, cantaloupe, honeysuckle," said Vickery, who helped to
bottle the very first batch. "It has a gewürztraminer-like, late-harvest,
concentrated character."

Mixing suggestions: "We make a super-vermouthy cocktail called South of Juneau. The recipe calls for 1.5 ounces of Cocchi
Aperitivo Americano, .75 ounces tequila and .5 ounces of Swedish Punsch. This would be excellent in place of the Cocchi Aperitivo."

What it is: Winemaker Patrick Taylor, who produces a
Barolo-style Chinato, or deeply spiced Italian red vermouth, as part of his day
job at Cana's Feast in Carlton, delves even deeper into vermouth territory with his own Hammer & Tongs side label. The Sac'Résine aims to occupy a middle ground between dry white and sweet red vermouths.

Tasting notes: After he got over the "terrific packaging" (the wordy, throwback label is worth a read), Vickery found this unusual vermouth to be "super herbal, with tons of sage or thyme" on the nose and "packed full of flavor" on the palate.

Mixing suggestions: When I suggested that this herbaceous draft might match well with cucumber, Vickery agreed: "We used to do a drink on a frozen
cucumber-water ice cube; as the ice melted it became more cucumber-y," he recalled. "It also would be good with ginger beer, added to a Dark and Stormy." The Hammer & Tongs vermouths (see also L'Afrique, below) are available at Hollywood Beverage, Hop & Vine, The Meadow, Pearl Specialty Market & Spirits and select liquor stores.

What it is: While Patrick Taylor looks to China and South Asia for the spice portfolio in his Sac'Résine, his L'Afrique draws upon the aromatics of Africa.

Tasting notes: "Whoa, it's like a cabernet," remarked Vickery upon seeing L'Afrique's blood-red color in the glass. Giving it a sniff, he declared it "earthy," and "savory," "like a lower-proof Amaro." On the palate, "It is unlike any vermouth I have ever tasted," he declared. "You almost want to cook with it, because there is something meaty about it."

Mixing suggestions: "This would be cool in a straight-up Negorini: plug this in instead of sweet vermouth. It would be weird, bitter and super-dark."

What it is: Karl Weichold, lab manager at the custom-crush (multi-label) 12th & Maplewinery in Dundee, tapped an old German recipe to make his signature vermouth, just hitting stores now.

Tasting notes: This cola-colored beverage is sweet on the palate, with aromatics of stone fruit, according to Vickery, who reported getting "potpourri" notes of apricot, peach, cherry and spice from his glass.

What it is: This limited-edition release from Harris Bridge is a pinot noir dessert wine, aged in neutral oak barrels for six months and fortified with fennel brandy.

Tasting notes: "This definitely smells like
wine; there is some oak on it," Vickery said of the ruby-red Timber, without knowing anything about it. "It
doesn't taste super vermouth-y to me. It's more like a red dessert wine. It
doesn't have that bitter herbal characteristic."

Mixing suggestions: Try it in place of the wine in a New York Sour — "Basically
a Whiskey Sour that you float red wine over the top of," or, if you're feeling fancy, a Greenwich Sour,
which is the same thing, but fluffed up with a frothy egg white. Available through the winery.